"I am fed up of being treated like a machine at work”

14/04/2016

On International Fast Food Workers day EFFAT joins thousands to demand a real living wage and an end to zero hour contracts

Brussels, 14 April 2016 – On the final day of the EFFAT, ETUC and all other ETUF’s conference titled “End precarious work Now – Decent Work and Equal Treatment for All”, EFFAT supports International Fast Food Workers Day. EFFAT, in organising all the restaurant workers in Europe, firmly reiterates that giant transnational corporations in the fast food sector must stop their widespread outrageous employment practices: poor wages, precarious jobs, denial of trade union rights and lack of benefits and social security.

In particular, EFFAT stands together with all fast food workers protesting today against zero hour contracts which fail to provide secure jobs and minimum working and living conditions, which make it impossible for millions of workers to support their households and families.

At the conference, a fast food worker under a zero hour contract in the UK gave a testimony on his working conditions saying: "My daily work at McDonalds has dismantled the idea of good society I grew up with. I have a kid and no clue of what my salary at the end of the month will be”, and added: “I am fed up of being treated like a machine rather than a human being. The profit of the company is constantly prevailing over workers’ wellbeing and this takes away all of our self-worth”.

EFFAT General Secretary Harald Wiedenhofer stated that “This is not an isolated case. On the contrary, it shines a light on the miserable working conditions that fast food workers have to face every day. We need to stop this and highlight the urgent need for change in the labour conditions of the fast food sector".

Today rallies and demonstrations are being held across Europe and globally. Photos and actions will be posted on social media: #FastFoodGlobal

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EFFAT is the European Federation of Food, Agriculture and Tourism Trade Unions. As a European Trade Union Federation representing 120 national trade unions from 35 European countries, EFFAT defends the interests of more than 22 million workers towards the European Institutions, European employers’ associations and transnational companies. EFFAT is a member of the ETUC and the European regional organisation of the IUF.